Container for retaining articles in a chilled or frozen condition.



J. FRITSGH-E. CONTAINER FOR RETAINING ARTICLES IN A GHILLEIEI 0R FROZEN CONDITION.

APPLICATION FILED DEC, 20, 1911.

039,506; I V Patented Sept. 24, 1912.'

s SHEETS-SHEET 1 J. FRITSOHEL- CONTAINER FOR RETAINING ARTICLES IN A GHILLED 0R FROZEN CONDITION.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 20, 1911. 1,039,50 Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYSv J. PRITSGHE. CONTAINER FOR RETAINING ARTICLES IN A GHILLED OR FROZEN GONDITION'. APPLICATION FILED DEC, 20, 1911.

1,039,506, I Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

I 3 SHEETS-SHEET}.

IIIIIIIIIIIII/IIIIIIIIUIIIIfi/I/ JN VENTUR monmsvs UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN FI-EI'ISCHE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO JCSEPH V. HOB AND ONE-THIRD. TO FRANK HARD/ART, BOTH OF PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTAINER FOR RETAINING ARTICLES. IN A CHIL-LED OR FRO ZEN CONDITION.

Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

Application filed December 20, 1911. Serial No. 666,918.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN FnrrsoHE, a

citizen of the 'United States, residing at.

1719 Mount- Vernon street, in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsyl-.

vania. have invented a new and useful Container for Retaining Articles in a Chilled or Frozen Condition, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to. containers which are especially adapted to be used in conjunction with machines for containing 01' broadly claimed in my co-pending application for a vending machine filed by me on the 20th day of December 1911, Serial No. 666,920 although itis of course to be under-. stood that the same is not limited to use in conjunction with such an apparatus but may be employed to advantage in conjunction with any desired type of. a vending or other machine; i I p With the above in view, my invention consists of a'novel construction of a container, and novel means for maintaining at a predetermined temperature the compartments which are adapted to receive the food or other articles to be vended.

It further consists of a novel construction of a container which is rotatably mounted and provided with means for locking the door of the vending machine when the container is in operative position.

It further consists of a'novel construction of a container in which'thc difl'erent article receiving compartments are spaced. in a novel manner, and in which provision is made for circulating a cooling medium around the article receiving compartments.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same has been found in practice to givesatistactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentallties of which my invention consists can be Villl ously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Figure .1 represents a sectional elevation of a container embodying my invention, the same being shown in detached .position. Fig. 2 represents a top plan, view of Fig.- 1. Fig. 3 represents a sectional elevation ofa portion of a vending machine structure showing one manner in whichthe'container may cooperate with the door of the vending machine structure.-

4 represents a front elevation of one of the compartments. 'Fig. 5 represents a sectional plan view of a portion of Fig. 1. on line w re Fig. 5. Fig. 7 represents a plan view of the bottom casting of the container. 'Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

'Referring to the drawings':1 designates the bottom plate or casting which is providedwith reinforcing ribs'2, and a boss 3, the lower end of which is ofreduced diame- Fig. 6 represents a section ter and provided with. a groove 4 in order that it may be secured' in its bearing in the usual manner. The upper edge oi the bottom- 1 is upw* dly deflected as indicated at 5, and the member 1 is provided with anaperture 6 therethrough.

7 designates a transverse rib which extends. across the upper face ot'the bottom.

1 and interlocks with. aperture I 8 in the downwardly extendingflangefl-of a sup porting member 10 to prevent relative rote-- tion of such parts. ,Themember 1.0.is provided with an upwardly entending' fiange 11 located a desired distance from the upper periphery of the supporting member 10.

12 designates a boss or enlargement of the supporting member 10 having alaterally extonding opening 13, one end of which is closed by a plug 1d, preferably in threaded engagement therewith.

15 designates a conduit extending into the enlargen'ient 12 and having threaded or other engagement therewith, as'is indicated at 16. in order that it may be removedif desired, the upper end of said conduit being open and comn'uinicating with the ice or brine containing chamber 17 of the container. The conduit 15.00mmunicates with. arecess 18 which leads to a connection 19 to which latter is adapted to be secured a hose or other conduit. The'flange 9 is provided with-a rib 20 to which is secured a plate 21 by means of fastening devices 22,

' and between the plate and the supporting member 10 is inserted insulation 23 of any suitable character.

24 desi ates the outer shell which is secured to t e member 10 in any desired manner.

. 25 designates an inner shell which is adapted .to closely engage the outer periphery of the flange 11 and also the flange 26 carried by the annulus 27 and between the outer shell 24 and the inner shell 25 is -detail, in the these covers. a'ch of the removable covers I are recessed or chambered, as indicated at vices 39, it being noted that the top 34, in order to receive the heat insulating material 35, and provide a boss 36 to receive a grasping handle 37.

38rdesignates a top plate which is secured to the 'member32 by means of fasteningldpa e 38 is adapted to extend outwardly, as indicated at 40, inorder that the same may seat on the laterally extending flan e of the an nulus 27,it being understood t t the plate 38 when in position is in close proximity to the cross bar 29.

41 designates the article receiving compartments which are constructed in a novel manner, each of which consists of a casing 42 having one side thereof open, as indicated at 43. The casing 42 which forms the food or article receiving compartment 41 is preferably made of an integral piece .of

material which is supported'on a spacing spool 44, and is provided with a nb 45 adapted to seat on the outer casing member 24. The upper end of the casing 42'is pro-- vided with an u wardly extendin flange which forms a c amber 46 adapte to receive a roller 47 carried by a door 48 of the vending machine, which is preferably transparent, in order that the article within thecompartment may be seen by the intending purchaser. The top of the upwardly extending flange is adapted to have seated thereon the bottom of the casing 42 thereabove.

The number of compartments 41 employed in practice vary in accordance with the conditions and requirements met with in practice, and it is to be understood that by means of a connection 53 in any desired manner, and preferably as disclosed in my (lo-pending application to which I have hereinbefore referred, and wherein I have shown one type of a container for articles to be vended, it being understood that my present invention as defined herein refers es pecially to a container which is adapted to be employed for the vending of frozen arlhlfiles, such as ice cream, custards, and the The outer shell 24. of the container has .secured thereto a cam 54 which cotiperates with the roller47 to lock-the door when the container is rotated, which occurs when the compartments 41 are to be re-filled. The

"outer shell 24 has secured thereto a cam 55 which cooperates with suitable mechanism to actuate the connection 53, and thereby the spring pressed plunger 51 to unlock the transparent door 48 and permit the same to open.

either the cover 32 or 33 may be removed by means of a handle 37 whereupon the chamber 17 may be ,filled with cracked ice and salt or other suitable freezing material. which will serve to maintain the food con tained within the compartments 41 at the proper temperature. The overflow of the water passes out the conduit 15 to a'desired point of discharge. If it is desired to remove the melted ice, the plug l4may be removed, -and the liquid withdrawn through the aperture 13. In many cases arising in practice it is preferable to force brine or a freezing solution through the chamber 17, and this is done in cases wherein a large number of vending machine units are employed, in which case brine or other freez- 1n' solution is pumpedby means of any suitable a paratus so that the same passes through t e aperture 30 and through the conduit 31 and discharges into the chamber 17 near the lower end thereof. The brine or freezing solution then circulates around the casings 42 of'the compartments 41 until it reaches the top of the chamber-17 from which it passes through the conduit 15, and

-through the connection 19 to the pump.

In the operation of the container, the same is rotatably mounted on the boss 56 and the boss 3 so that the open end 43 of the com- In the operation of my novel container,

' of the vending machine.

partments 41 will register with the doors 48 The container is then rotated to bring the open end 43 of the compartments 41 out of register with the doors 48, whereupon the cams 54 cooperate with the rollers 47 to maintain the doors closed so that the machine cannot be operated, and at the same time the cam 55 co operates with suitable mechanism to control the spring pressed plunger 51 and the insertion of a coin into a vending machine as will be understood by reference to my copending application to which I have hereinbefore referred. After the compartments have been filled, the container is then rotated so as to bring the openings 43 of the compartments ll into register with the doors 48, whereupon the cam 54 will pass into such position that the door 48 may be opened upon the proper actuation of the spring pressed plunger 51. Since the construction and operation of the mechanism controlled by the cams 54c and 55 is described and broadly claimed in my co-pending application to which I have hereinbefore referred, and forms no part per se of the present invention, I have deemed it unnecessary at this time to illustrate and describe such construction in detail, since my present invention relates to the novel construction of a container as an article of manufacture and the novel manner of maintaining the compartments at a desired temperature.

My novel construction of container gives marked and advantageous results in practice and frozen articles can be kept therein without melting for a period of several hours.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction of a container for retaining articles in a chilled or frozen condition which embodies the fea tures of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description, and while I have, in the present instance, shown and described a preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification'in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Ha. ing thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In device of the character stated, a bottom member adapted to be rotatably mounted, an insulated plate carried by said member, inner and outer shells carried by said plate, a top member secured to said shells and adapted to be rotatably mounted,

insulation between said shells, an insulated removable closure carried-by said top member, a plurality of-superimposedarticle receivi ng compartments extending into the chamber formed by the inner shell and having an open side extending through said shells, spacing means supporting the inner ends of said compartments, and means for removing liquid from the compartment formed by said inner shell.

2. In a device of the character stated, a bottom member having a shaft on which it is adapted tobe mounted, an insulated plate carried by said member, inner and outer shells carried by said plate, a top member secured to said shells and having an opening therein adapted to receive a journal, a conduit communicatingwith said opening and discharging nto the chamber formed by the inner shell, a discharge conduit communicating with said chamber near its upper end, a plurality of superimposed article receiving compartments tending into the chamber formed by the inner shell and havingan open side extending through said shells, spacing means supporting the inner ends of said compartments, and means for circulating a cooling medium through said opening.

3. In a device of the character stated, a bottom member having a shaft on which. it is adapted to be mounted, an upwardly extending flange at its outer periphery and having a rib on its upper face, an insulated bottom plate contained within said flange and interlocking with said rib, inner and outer insulated shells carried by said bottom plate, a top member carried by said shells, a closure carried by said top member, and means for removingliquid from the chamber formed by said inner shell.

4t. In a device of the character stated, a bottom member having a shaft on which it is adapted to be rotatably mounted and having on its upper face a rib, a bottom plate interlocked with said rib, insulation between said plate and said bottom member, inner and outer shells carriedby said plate, insulation therebetween, a top member secured to said shells, a removable insulated closure carried by said top member, a plurality of superimposed compartments within the chamber formed by the inner shell and having an open side extending through said shells, spacing means between said compartments, andmeans for removing liquid from said chamber.

5. In a device of the character stated, a bottom member having a shaft on which it is adapted to be mounted, an insulated plate secured to said member, inner and outer shells carried by said plate, a top member secured to said shells, insulation between said shells, an insulated removable closure carried by said top member, a plurality of means supporting the inner ends of said compartments, and means for circulating a cooling medium through said chamber.

'6. In a device of the character stated, a bottom member having a shaft on which it is adapted to'be mounted, an insulated plate interlocked with said member, inner and outer shells carried by said plate, a top member secured to said shells, insulation between said shells, an insulated removable closure carried by said top member, a plurality of article receiving compartments extending into the chamber formed by said inner shell and having an open side extending through said shells and secured thereto, spacing means supportingthe inner ends of said compartments, a conduit extending into sa d chamber and discharging at the lower end thereof, a conduit communicating With the upper end of said chamber, and means for circulating a cooling medium through said conduits and said chamber.

7. Ina device of the character stated, a bottom member having a shaft adapted to be rotatably mounted and having at its outer carried by said plate, inner and outer shellscarried by said plate, insulation therebe: tween, a top member secured to said shells, an insulating removable closure carried by said top member, a plurality of superim posed and spaced compartments Within the chamber formed by the inner shell and hav-.

ing an open side extending through said shells, a spacing member carried by said plate and engaging the bottom of the compartment thereabove, a spacing member between each compartment and the compartment thereabove, and a valve controlled port communicating with the bottom of said chamber.

' JOHN FRITSCHE. 'Witnesses: 1

H. S. FAInBAnfKs, C. D. MoVAY. 

